When we hear the term sportswashing, we often think of Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Russia. But if sport is a tool of soft power, why are Western democracies so often excluded from the conversation?

Visa complications involving participants in the upcoming 2026 World Cup highlight a fundamental reality of global sport. FIFA can organise a global tournament, but access to it is determined by sovereign states and their border policies.

On December 6 th in Washington D.C during the official draw for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA awarded U.S. President Donald J. Trump with the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World”. An award that was given to Trump without any transparency in regards to a list of nominees, the judges or the criteria. The decision landed less like a sporting honour and more like a diplomatic signal. In a world where football has become one of the most effective instruments of soft